Mosh Potatoes isn't the first-ever metal-themed cookbook (see also: Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook by Annick Giroux, which similarly features recipe contributions from famous headbangers). But Mosh Potatoes has the better name. Also, download site Loudtrax.com is running a contest (it ends Monday, a.k.a. February 14, a.k.a. Valentine's Day) in conjunction with the book. For brave culinary warriors only, "We Dare You to Cook Up Lemmy!" offers Kilmister-approved prizes for folks willing to attempt the Motorhead legend's contribution to the book. (Details here; the recipe involves chocolate syrup, curry powder, brandy, and fire, among other things. It is called "Krakatoa Surprise," and I wouldn't get near it even if you offered me a suit made out of Ove Gloves.)

One of the depositions taken in a case involving fraud and corruption in city contracting contains some fascinating detail about how City Hall worked under Mayor Willie Brown -- and the role the current mayor, Ed Lee, played in the behind-the-scenes action. The deposition of Deborah Vincent-James, who used to run the city's technology purchasing agency, was taken by Matt Springman, an attorney with Gonzalez and Leigh. Read more »

CHUCKY CHEESE It's hard not to fall in love with Jennifer Tilly. Star of hits big (1997's Liar Liar) and cult (1996's Bound), she's an Oscar-nominated (for 1994's Bullets Over Broadway) actor who also happens to be a champion poker player. Though she specializes in dim-bulb sexpots, Tilly is no dummy — witness her hilarious turn in 2004's Seed of Chucky. Read more »

Walks you through the Ten Commandments, your examination of conscience and any “custom sins” you might have, then after confession (purportedly) wipes the slate clean so no one sees your transgressions.Read more »

Phoenix is the most obvious reference for Darwin Deez's crisp, clean, and commercial tunefulness, with occasional traces of El Guincho -- and Beck's hipster clowning, which makes sense, as Deez made an unofficial 2009 video for Cornelius's 2001 song "Fly." (I'd hazard a guess that both Phoenix and Deez are influenced by the light beauty of Lô Borges.) My favorite aspect of lead member Darwin Smith's songwriting and recording is the melodicism of his guitar sound — counter-melodic grace notes whirligig through the air on songs like "Deep Sea Divers," "The City," "Up in the Clouds," and "Bed Space." His lyrics and look are way too precious for my taste, but I might succumb with the repeated listens the better songs here attract. Guitar pop alert: In addition to some Deez clips, after the jump you'll also find Damon Packard's HILARIOUS video for Buva's "Hide Away," with absolutely unparalleled animal control puppetry!

Friends and fans of John Ross, the poet and hellraiser who died in January, will celebrate his life at a memorial service Feb. 26th. It's at the United Mission Presbyterian Church, 23rd and Capp, from 3-5 p.m., with a reception following at Cafe La Boheme. See you there.

Today we take another break from hard-core politics while Johnny gets back into his history in hard-core punk and talks with the legendary Cheetah Chrome, who has a new book out. Listen after the jump. Read more »

You’re an Ivy League graduate who spends your days carrying a briefcase through the city’s marble halls. So how do you spend your nights? If your name -- stage name in this case -- is Sugar Magnolia, then the answer is burlesque dancing. Last Friday, Red Hots Burlesque made its weekly appearance at El Rio and among the false eyelashes and frippery emerged Magnolia's debut performance in San Francisco. We caught up with her to talk shop about the burlesque scene and bold brashness.

The moment I saw Edie Fake's book Gaylord Phoenix (Secret Acres, 256 pages, $17.95) on a table at a local shop was a lifesaver. Not much contemporary art or stuff actually reaches me -- and jolts me -- at the mysterious and elusive spot(s) where my imagination and spirit reside, and the drawings and stories of Fake do exactly that. I have some issues of Gaylord Phoenix from when it was in serial form, and Fake's comic Rico McTaco, but I had no idea a lavish color book of Gaylord Phoenix existed, and the discovery was about as close to finding a treasure as I've had in recent daily life. Read more »

So Rihanna made an S&M video. No really, it's called “S&M.” And yes, it does feature her walking Perez Hilton – not the sexiest choice – on a leash, while wearing a latex dress and a killer day-at-the-races hat-thing, plus her singing while hanging from the ceiling, men in restraints and gags, and creative use of duct tape. Yep, yetanother celebrity discovers BDSM. While the video itself is not thrilling and not all that arousing (for my money, Rihanna's made hotter), the girl's got a way with outfits – she has a penchant for performing in latex, and sports a pretty incredible hood and stockings latex 'fit in the new video, which already has 9.3 million views on YouTube, fyi. Perhaps she could be convinced to share the wealth at one of SF's two kinky costume swaps this Sun/13 -- at Kinky Salon and the SF Citadel respectively. Even if RiRi's not in attendance, the event should be a good opportunity to re-up on some gear to wear to the next wild-and-wacky costumed sex party. Or nearly any of this weeks' sex events, for that matter...

“Yesterday we were all Tunisian. Today we are all Egyptian. Tomorrow we will all be Free,” read one sign on at last weekend’s protest in solidarity with the wave of uprisings across the Arab world, an event drew thousands of people into the streets of San Francisco.Read more »

With an average body mass index of 24.8 (measured in 2008), SF rates as the second skinniest city in the United States. Work it out people – all those bikes, parks, and beaches paying off, or at least putting us out ahead in America's race against obesity. But next to nearly every one of our yoga studios and muscle gyms is an art gallery. It's fair to say that art appreciation is as ingrained in San Francisco culture as athletic mastery – but where does one go to buff up one's rock hard appreciation of digital art film and radical myth iconography? Enter Yerba Buena Center for the Arts' new program, “YBCA: YOU”, currently accepting applications (this means you) for a free program that'll have you doing heavy lifting of the city's creative offerings in no time. Read more »

There is the fraud that is witch house, and then there is the musical spell cast by Demdike Stare, a duo that takes its name from 17th-century accused witch ElizabethSoutherns. Tryptych gathers three near-LP-length EPs, and its highlights are numerous. While Liberation Through Hearing delivers on the title's promise, my pick of the trio might be Voices of Dust, thanks to the swelling charge "Black Sun," the frenetic "Hashshashin Chant," and the seductive dirge "A Tale of Sand." These songs conjure dark visions on their very own, but after the jump, check out some montage videos that Jonny Redman of the European cult movie site www.lovelockandload.net has created for Demdike Stare tracks. If you can I.D. any of the amazing source material he's using, I'd love to know.

Sup. Jane Kim once again angered her progressive supporters yesterday by introducing legislation to give Twitter a huge corporate tax break, caving in to the company's extortionary threats to leave the city if politicians don't bend to its demands. And with Board President David Chiu co-sponsoring a proposal that came out of the mayor's office, it is all but assured to pass, exacerbating the city's $380 million budget deficit.Read more »